Unit 9: Pin is the best guest

Pin is a blue little monster and he is 11 years old. He has got a lot of friends at school: Sam, Cheek, Lyn...

One day of February, Pin is reading an English book about traditional English recipes at home. Unfortunately, he can’t understand what he reads and he starts to cry. Suddenly, Pin's mum arrives:

-  Oh, dear! What is wrong?

-  I do not understand this English book... My English is awful… Can you help me, please?

-  Sure! Come on, cheer up! I have an idea.

Pin and his mum have a long conversation and after that, Pin is happy. He decides to travel to London.

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The next week, when he arrives to London, he rings the bell of one house. A sweet woman opens the door:

-  Hello, my name is Pin.

-  Hello, Pin. My name is Rose. Welcome. I will prepare some tea for you. 

-  Thanks, I am thirsty!

Pin enters the house. It is beautiful. He can’t believe his eyes!

-  Rose, this house is beautiful! 

-  Thank you very much. It is my grandmother's house. Let me introduce you to my family.

They go to the living room, where a man is watching TV and a girl is playing the piano. 

-  This is my husband Hook and this is my child Fan. Guys, this is Pin, our new friend. He is our guest tonight.

-  Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Pin.

-  Hello, Pin. Please, feel at home and help yourself - Hook says while pointing at the teapot, which is on a little wooden table. 

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Ten minutes later, after a relaxing chat with Rose’s family, Rose says to Pin:

-  Would you like to stay during some weeks with us, Pin?

-  Mmm. That is great, but my mum always tells me not to trust strangers...

-  OK. Don't worry. I can call your mum. Can you give me her phone number, please?

-  Of course. Her phone number is +34689745891.  

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When Rose has talked to Pin's mum, Rose shows Pin the house. They visit the basement, the toilet, the bathroom, the bedrooms and the kitchen. In the kitchen, there is an enourmous fridge, where there are plenty of vegetables, several fruits and other groceries, like milk, cheese and even one big cake! However, thre isn’t any yoghurt.

-  Pin, you can come here whenever you feel hungry to eat whatever you want.

-  Oh, thanks, everything looks delicious. 

 Then, they go to the dining room.

-  Look, here we always have breakfast at 7 o'clock, we have lunch at 12 o'clock and we have dinner at 6 o'clock. 

-  Wow, English timetable is very different from Spanish timetable. I normally have breakfast at 8 o'clock, I have lunch at 2 o'clock and I have dinner at 9 o'clock at home. 

-  I see, now you know something new about English culture! Well, Pin, do you want to have some dinner? I have prepared Sunday roast.

-  Pardon? What is that? I have never heard about Sunday roast. 

-  It is a typical English meal. In my familiy, we eat Sunday roast for lunch after church every Sunday. It is made of roast beef, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, some vegetables and gravy, which is a sauce. 

-  Mmm, yummy. I am starving! Let’s have dinner!

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During the dinner, Fan and her family start to show Pin some British table manners:

-  Firstly, you should use first the fork that is the furthest away from your plate.

-  OK. This one…

-  Secondly, you should never talk with food in your mouth.

-  Oh, sorry…

-  Don’t worry. Thirdly, you should never put too much food in your mouth and you should never mix food on your plate.

-  Oh, don’t forget that drinking noisily is rude.

-  Fourthly, you should hold your fork in the left hand and the knife, in the right hand to cut food.

-  And what about the napkin?

-  Good question. You should always keep it on your lap until you leave the table and you shouldn’t clean cutlery or crockery with your napkin.

-  And finally, you shouldn’t place your elbows on the table.

-  Wow! I have learned very much with you!

 

Pin has dinner with Pan’s family and he spends four weeks with them. He discovers new places in London, like the Big Ben and he learns very interesting eating habits and table manners of the English culture and that thanks to his evolution in English, he has made new friends.

 

THE END